Lenovo IdeaPad Z500

NCIX, a computer company that sells computers, parts, PC games and other gadgets, let me demo and review this laptop.

Lenovo IdeaPad Z500

Lenovo is one of the awesome companies that actually sell some darn good computers. Their laptops have true accessibility, performance and power. Although Windows 8 is completely unusable, I’m sure, as a geek, you’ll figure something out. If you’re not a geek, go get a geek. They’re not that hard to find.

The IdeaPad Z500 is a great starter laptop. For those who want something cheap, but has a bang for their buck, this one is a great choice.

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Intel i5-3230M @ 2.6 GHz (Dual-core) with 3 MB Cache
• Intel HD 4000 GPU (shared RAM)
• 6 GB DDR3 SDRAM (2 slots)
• 1 TB HDD @ 5400 RPM
• 15.6″ (1366 x 768)
• 4 cell 5 hour battery

From my personal experience, it holds out. It’s very fluid and smooth when it comes to processing. I gamed on it for a bit (Minecraft) and find it fine on run. Considering Windows 8, I still felt a bit locked out. Other than that, the performance is good, the graphics are great and the sound is fine.

I’m sure the 6 GB RAM can be upgraded to 8 GB, but that’s my only preference. Oh, and install something like Windows 7 (it should be worth it) and get rid of that lousy Windows 8 operating system. After installing Windows 7, you may commence ULTIMATE TWEAKING! Play around with the settings, install all the necessary proprietary drivers, install your own personal theme, the whole nine yards! Then after that, you can finally sleep soundly at night.

Unless, you actually like Windows 8. If so, go to the doctor and get yourself checked out.

In conclusion, the Lenovo IdeaPad Z500 is a laptop that’s doing what it’s supposed to do: work. It’s your typical home, browsing, word processing and gaming laptop. I don’t think it can handle bigger multimedia power (like a heavy session of League of Legends), but it can certainly give what the user wants.

Priced around $700, it’s a great buy!

Lenovo IdeaPad Z500

Keep Chewing!

Building a PC

Consider the following:

You’re a computer lover. No, a computer enthusiast.

Tweaking your own PC is everything that you do. Coding is second nature to you. When your friends need tech help, they almost always go directly to you.

You’ve also taken Computer Engineering courses, only to learn multiple and helpful things. One of which would be learning about the internal parts of a tower PC. You’ve read about CPUs, GPUs, HDDs, SSDs and everything hardware. The BIOS menu is now your close friend. You know every piece and you also know how to use every tool in your dad’s toolbox. Now what?

Well, it comes down to one thing, and one thing only. Building your own PC.

Truth be told, I was planning on building a tower this year and write about the journey in this blog. But due to priorities being held against me (like paying my phone bill and saving up for University), I am monetarily unable to purchase parts. However, that does not stop me from learning and finding resources.

That’s where PC It Yourself (pronounced “Piece It Yourself”) comes in. I found this amazing site where beginners – like myself – can get some interactive help for building a PC from scratch.

PC It Yourself

As my plans for making Nixxy (my future PCs nickname) takes a step back, I’m sure there will be some beginners out there who will use this site wholeheartedly.

Keep Chewing!

XBOX One vs PS4 – Specifications

This is a three part series on the XBOX One and PS4. Part 1 will be Specifications, Part 2 will be Features and Part 3 will be Games.

A new generation of gaming consoles have been revealed this year. Sony revealed the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft revealed the XBOX One. Both are huge upgrades compared to their predecessors, but only one can achieve true greatness. Which one will it be?

Before entering this very sensitive topic, I must say that I will do my best to be as unbiased as possible considering I am a one sided PS3 gamer.

Part One: SPECIFICATIONS

Let’s take a look at the specifications.

XBOX One

The XBOX One holds an 8 Core MS custom processor with 8 GB of DDR3 RAM. It also has a 500 GB Hard Drive. The 802.11n Wireless with WiFi Direct is a standard. There is no information on what their GPU is, although a Microsoft rep has told IGN “AMD is our primary partner for the custom silicon that makes up our GPU/CPU SOC that is the heart of the XBOX One.”(Source: IGN)

They also include their typical cross game chat (party chat) that came along with the XBOX 360. With the new USB standards, built in USB 3.0 ports are a must for the system. It has a Blu-ray and DVD drive. Lastly, it has your typical HDMI input and output port that supports 4K and of course your good old optical output.

PlayStation 4

The PS4 boasts the 8 Core AMD Jaguar with 8 GB of DDR5 RAM. The PS4 also has 500 GB of HDD storage. It has a different networking hardware: IEEE 802.11 b/g/n. The GPU is an AMD next-gen Radeon based graphics card/engine.

It has two built in USB 3.0 ports, an auxiliary port, an HDMI port and an optical port.

Processing Factor

Recently, XBOX Product Planning Executive Albert Penello said that comparing specifications is meaningless. “It’s not going to matter,” he says. He also mentioned the generation of gaming when 16 bit and 32 bit battled. Surely, in that time, there was a huge difference. I beg to differ, Microsoft.

I found this video by WoodysGamertag to be very informative. It compares the processing power between the PS4 and XBOX One.

For now, I must say that the PS4 is taking the lead with specifications. It holds true to being slightly more powerful than the XBOX One (based on CPU and GPU power).

All specifications are subject to change.